Many people suffer from social anxiety it is estimated that 12.1% of U.S. adults experience social anxiety disorder at some time in their lives. [1] Although studies on social anxiety are still preliminary and more research needs to be done about it, the symptoms that come with social anxiety are the following:
Symptoms of Social Anxiety Disorder
In a crowd of people or large gatherings someone experiencing social anxiety may feel:
- Face becomes flushed
- Rapid heartbeat
- Trembling, weak muscles
- Nausea
- Shortness of breath
- Dizziness
- Brain fog
There are different levels of social anxiety and everyone can experience something different from the above list but there are classifications to mild, moderate and severe types of social anxiety.
The pie chart displayed here is the types of social anxiety and levels of impairment from adults. It is estimated 29.9% had serious impairment, 38.8% had moderate impairment, and 31.3% had mild impairment. [1]
Cause of Social Anxiety Disorder
The cause of social anxiety disorder is unknown but it can be coupled with various other factors. It can be situational and environmental to bring on the effects of social anxiety. Social anxiety also can be coupled with various types of mental illnesses such as depression, OCD, generalized anxiety disorder, PTSD and many more.
CBD and Social Anxiety
There are findings to suggest that CBD may in fact be able to help people cope with this disorder and their symptoms. In their findings, tests with patients who experience social phobias demonstrate that CBD has natural anxiolytic (anti-anxiety) effects. [2] This means the CBD can potentially sedate the effects that bring on social anxiety such as rapid heartbeat, trembling, shortness of breath, dizziness, brain fog and more.
This works by when the CBD compounds attach to the CB1 receptors which are stored throughout the body and the brain. This then activates the serotonin receptors which in turn helps regulate and reduce the rapid heartbeat and blocks stress receptors and hormones like cortisol from entering the body.
As a result, your body will be relaxed and your mind will be calm. The other symptoms may disappear as well making you more able to cope in perceived stressful situations.
Many people are turning to CBD oil or CBD related products for relief instead of dangerous SSRI’s drugs that have a host of side effects and dependency issues as a result.
Although it seems that CBD is a great viable choice over dangerous pharmaceuticals, it is still important to know that CBD does come with side effects. One in particular can be the interactions of medications.
Even though the side effects of CBD is minimal it is good to be aware of them and always consult a qualified medical practitioner for further questions and a treatment protocol.
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References:
[1] https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/statistics/social-anxiety-disorder.shtml
[2] https://www.cbdmd.com/health/anxiety/social-anxiety-disorder
